Graceling

Graceling is a young adult fantasy novel by the American writer Kristin Cashore and her first book, published in 2008. It was named to Publishers Weekly's best books of the year list, and it was followed by a companion novel, Fire, set in the same world.

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight, and her uncle, the king, has used her for that purpose for years. The novel begins with an act of rescue she carries out without his knowledge, which brings her into the company of Prince Po, who is searching for his kidnapped grandfather and who is also Graced.

Cashore writes the book as an adventure about a young woman deciding what her own abilities are for, and it spends real time on the political arrangements of the seven kingdoms rather than treating them as scenery. The relationship between Katsa and Po grows out of the work they do together, and the novel was widely reviewed as a debut.